Imagine if all your favorite dark fairytales and legends teamed up, then decided to go toe-to-toe with swarms of nightmare creatures. That’s literally Ravenswatch in a nutshell, a top-down roguelike action game that blends gorgeous environments, tough-as-nails combat, and a cast of heroes pulled right out of folklore.

It’s a game that lures you in with stunning visuals and flowing animations (seriously every map looks like a storybook come to life) then promptly humbles you with brutal enemies and unforgiving bosses. I personally can’t count the number of times I’ve been so enthralled by a moveset or kit of a character that I’m learning, that I don’t even notice the enemy that sneaks up next to me and nearly one-taps me because my HP is low.

And while the enemies may not be so forgiving, everything else feels incredibly rewarding. Every run teaches you something, every new character combo feels like an experiment in chaos (super fun, might I add), and every victory feels earned.

But let’s not spoil too much! Now let’s dive a little deeper on this game of the quarter pick!

• It’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Despite the fact that Ravenswatch takes place in a nightmare infested land in which monsters roam and you have more of a likelihood of coming across a corpse rather than any survivors, there’s something to truly admire about the dreary setting of this game. From the eerie forests to the hauntingly lit battlefields, Ravenswatch nails the atmosphere. Though not much to admire, you’ll likely stop mid-run just to take in the beautiful art style of the game… right before a nightmare wolf smacks you into the dirt. I’m getting triggered just thinking about it..

• The characters are brilliant. Red Riding Hood turning into a werewolf? Aladdin using a djinn’s powers and making wishes? Beowulf igniting nightmares with his dragon buddy? The one and only Sun-Wu Kong? Enough said, the monkey king needs no introduction (just know, he’s one of the best characters to play). Each hero feels unique, with movesets that are fun to master, build up, and play around another hero of equal caliber in their own quirky way.

• Co-op is where it shines. Playing solo is fun (and probably ten times harder – I’m not crying, you’re crying), but learning how your character’s strengths complement your partner’s is where the magic happens. Mixing and matching is so much fun, especially when you find a team where one character covers another’s weaknesses. One of you goes tanky while the other keeps enemies at bay with ranged and healing skills? Yes, please! Did Frankie and I do this? Perhaps.

• Progression that matters and replay-ability. Unlocking abilities, leveling up characters, and discovering new synergies makes every run feel different. You not only gain harder difficulties as you win, but every new run is just a dice roll that is fully out of your control. As you’re leveling up characters, you’re also unlocking new abilities and buffs which then join the dice roll in your runs. You may have the perfect build in mind, but it doesn’t mean you’ll get those and that forces you to be adaptable! And of course, that adds to replay-ability. You’d get bored with the same powers against the same bosses and enemies, wouldn’t you? Duh! You even slowly learn more about a character as you play them all through a folktale told in story format by the character themselves.
  

If you like a little challenge… you’ll love these next points!

• It’s tough. Like, really tough. If you’re used to cozy games, prepare for a rude awakening. Bosses don’t mess around in this game, and it’s easy to wipe if you’re not paying attention. But while you do have the ability to be resurrected or resurrect yourself (and even gain extra lives), Ravenswatch doesn’t make it easy on you and if super challenging isn’t right up your alley, maybe skip this one.

• Steep learning curve. Each character takes practice, and swapping between them means you’ll need to relearn your rhythm often. This game doesn’t hand you any easy wins, you earn them by mastering your characters and building them up to your unique playstyle. This game doesn’t feel all that easy to just JUMP right into, but if you like a little bit of a runaround while learning a game – a slow burn, if you will… you’ll probably enjoy this aspect of the game. We personally found it made the game feel more rewarding to win, more exciting to learn and gave it a higher replay-ability score. 

• Chaos everywhere. Once the screen fills with enemies, projectiles, and abilities flying, things get wild. Fun? Absolutely. But don’t be surprised if you lose track of where your character even is and somehow end up going down because you take too much damage at once. Would I say it can be a little frustrating at times when that happens? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. But if you LOVE chaos, then this ugly probably isn’t as ugly to you as it may be to cozy gamers!

• Boss frustration. Some bosses feel like they were designed just to test your patience. You’ll scream. You’ll rage. You’ll immediately queue up another run anyway, but at the very least the bosses remain the same across each level. While there are different rolls on the bosses which dictate what their moveset is, all you need to do is learn it like every boss fight ever, and dodge and weave while you whack away at his HP bar. Sounds pretty easy, right? You’re a gamer after all!

At the end of the day, Ravenswatch checks all the boxes for what we love in a co-op game. It’s challenging but fair, beautiful to look at, and endlessly fun to experiment with. Learning new characters together, figuring out which duos work best, and slowly improving each run has been a blast. 

And if you wanted to know a few of our favorites? Romeo and Juilet. And Melusine and Sun-Wu Kong are pretty dope as duos. Do with that information what you will!

The replayability is huge,  the map layout generates anew every time and your rolls on powers are always different so no two runs feel the same, and every level-up or unlock keeps the game feeling fresh. It’s the kind of title that rewards persistence, teamwork, and a little bit of chaos-loving spirit.

That’s why we’re crowning Ravenswatch our very first Game of the Quarter here on co-op couple! It’s tough, gorgeous, and rewarding in a way few games manage. This is perfect for couples who love surviving a nightmare together. Or for partners in crime who like to clobber monsters in their spare time.

Ha, I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it.

So what do you think? Want to check out Ravenswatch? Let us know if you liked the game and consider trying out our fairytale duos!

This game is available on PC/ Steam, playstation, xbox and Nintendo Switch.